Strike Records
by Darkyami7
Summary: [Sequel to Sennen Rage] An entire summer has passed since Yami rejoined Sennen Rage. He's healing, but some wounds don't heal no matter how much time has passed. YYxY
1. Prologue

**_Strike Records_**

**_Summary:_** (Sequel to Sennen Rage) An entire summer has passed since Yami rejoined Sennen Rage. He's healing, but some wounds don't heal no matter how much time has passed. YYxY.

**_Rating:_** M for mentions or rape, violence, alcohol and language. There will no content in this story that would denote a rating of NC-17. I won't write it.

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own any of the characters of Yu-Gi-Oh! or any ideas that Kazuki Takahashi created in the making of Yu-Gi-Oh! This fan-fiction is being written purely for my own enjoyment.

**_Author's Notes:_** It's been a while, I know. I also know that I told at least a few readers that this story wasn't going to go into fruition at all. Well...I changed my mind, because I miss writing, and I can't come up with any new ideas.

* * *

**_Prologue_**

Yami didn't know how many months had passed. He was trying not to think of time spans, because with landmarks came the thoughts of "this happened then," and "this long ago this happened to me."

Yami didn't like those kinds of thoughts because they gave him bad feelings. They felt like a constant reminder of the things that had happened to him not-so-long ago. Time didn't heal those kinds of wounds, and it didn't matter how many people told him that it would.

The guitarist was well aware that only he himself could heal his wounds. He had figured this out himself, though Yugi had given him many hints. Yami wasn't sure if he would have gotten this far without them.

No, Yami didn't track his progress by time. He tracked it by the amount of words that he could say to his therapist. He tracked it by the number of times that Yugi could touch him without him flinching. He tracked it by how he was feeling.

But those things fluctuated, so sometimes Yami felt like he had made no progress at all, and that he was still in the hospital fighting for his health and his sanity. Sometimes he felt like he was still in the hands of Ryan Allen.

Sometimes time went backwards.

* * *

It was raining out; Yami didn't really ever notice the weather unless it was humid and raining out, because that was the kind of weather that he hated the most. His skin felt spongy inside and out, and water would drip in and through his clothes. The feeling that he got both inside and out made him feel helpless and frustrated. Trapped. 

Even though Yami hated the sticky rain and gloomy clouds that loomed overhead that Monday morning, he was still outside walking the streets of New York City. He didn't have anything else to do. Yugi had morning classes, as it was now September, and after that he was off to work at KaibaCorp until early evening.

During the summer Yugi and Yami had spent a lot of time together, going for long walks in the park or for even longer car rides. Yami couldn't honestly say that he was fully enjoying himself, because he was always uneasy about one thing or another, but he could say that he felt almost safe. He did feel the safest in Yugi's arms.

The second place that Yami felt almost safe was when he was by himself. He didn't understand how he felt safe walking in a crowded city full of thugs and robbers, but he did. Maybe it was because he was always thinking when he was alone, so he didn't notice or understand the things that were going on around him. That in itself was probably unhealthy, but Yami liked to be by himself, he liked to think. So he did.

What Yami didn't like, however, was how unsafe he felt while playing his guitar. Rehearsals with Jullian and Zach had been going on for at least a few months--Yami wasn't really sure how long it really was--and he had yet to just sigh blissfully and play whatever he wanted to.

He felt like his absence from his guitar and his band had made him forget about what he really wanted out of it. He could tell himself that he played because he loved it and because his lyrics were an outlet, but he didn't really feel like that anymore. He hadn't written anything since the song that Yugi helped him write just before rejoining Sennen Rage, and to tell the truth he hadn't looked at it in a while, either.

Zach was writing the songs that the band played during rehearsal. They were good; the songs had all of the things that scouting managers would be looking for in a band, whatever those were. Yami could do those sorts of things; he could play chords that were written on a piece of paper, and he could sing that words that were dictated to him.

That wasn't how it used to be, though. Yami used to be able to pull words and music right out of his head. He used to be able to think of a few lyrics, sing them and then play music that beautifully matched it. That was his instinct; it was something that he had all along and then enhanced as he practiced in college.

But now that instinct was gone. Yami couldn't any of those things anymore; it was almost as if he were afraid to, or as if someone had taken it away from him.

It was probably both. Yami had taken away his own ability to play from his heart by being afraid to. Or--maybe Ryan had taken it away with all of the horrible things that he had done.

This was Yami's problem. This was where he always got stuck. He didn't know who was at fault for the things that were wrong in his life. All logic told him that it was Ryan, that Ryan's rape, attempted murder and successful suicide ruined Yami's mind and all of the things that he had going for him, but Yami's heart and the dark spot in the back of his mind told him otherwise. They told him that Yami himself ruined his life for being weak and for being a coward.

He didn't know who to listen to.

The guitarist shivered as he stepped in a puddle and water flooded into his shoes. He had forgotten that he was walking, and his feet took him to _A Jazzed Up Mind_, the cafe that Yami had recently gotten a job at. He worked there on Thursday, Friday and Saturday afternoons into the night, giving coffee and tea to the people that listened to live entertainment.

Three nights a week might not look like a good paycheck, but Yami was tipped well. He was a young, attractive man with a nice voice and a deep, genuine smile. Of course the customers tipped well.

Perhaps the one thing that Yami really liked about his job was the fact that people didn't recognize him at _A Jazzed Up Mind_. It seemed like the only people that went to the cafe were those too young to go clubbing and those that were too old to want to. Yami liked it that way; he liked being in the shadows after being in the spotlight for so long. It was a nice change.

Sure, sometimes people looked at him with large amounts of recognition in their eyes, but they had enough respect and dignity to not say anything to him. Once someone went as far as to ask him for his autograph, but even then it wasn't too much of a big deal. It was obvious that the person remembered him for his music and not for the tragedy that he went through, so Yami was happy to sign his name, first in English letters and then in Egyptian script, on the napkin that was prompted to him.

Yami never forgot about the fact that he was an Egyptian. He never forgot about his parents, either. Yami had almost accepted the fact that he probably wouldn't get the chance to go home again, but when this realization hit him it wasn't much of a surprise. He supposed that this was because when he left he wasn't expecting much to come back. He was only upset about it because his parents told him that he wasn't welcome anymore.

That was the biggest shock, Yami guessed, that he wasn't wanted in his own home. But he _was_ wanted, however, there in New York by Yugi and Zach and Jullian. That was enough.

--Well...it was enough for the time. Yami knew that he still wanted to go back to Egypt, if only for a little while. He wasn't going to lie to himself, especially if he could help it.

Shaking his head, Yami decided that he needed to stop thinking. He had pondered that afternoon perhaps everything that there was to be pondered and his mind was tired. He pushed open the door of _A Jazzed Up Mind_, deciding that he wanted to get a coffee.

As the door of the Cafe opened and the bell rung, Yami was instantly greeted by his boss, Bryan Isaak. Bryan, a kind and warmhearted man of about fifty, didn't read the newspapers or watch the news, so he knew nothing about Yami other than the things that the guitarist told him. Because of this, Yami almost completely trusted the man; one could go as far as to call the two friends.

"Good morning, Yami!" He said, his blue eyes twinkling. "You must be pretty bored to be coming here when you're not even on the schedule."

Yami laughed a little, smiling back at the man. "I was just taking a walk and ended up here. I thought that I'd come in to get out of the rain."

"No problem, no problem!" Bryan said. "Come in, come in! There's no need for you to stand in the doorway."

Yami nodded, agreeing, and walked into the cafe while taking off his jacket. The coffee shop, though popular, was rather small and homey. There were tables and chairs strewn about in some kind of random order as people often moved them to accommodate larger groups or to get a little more privacy, and the "bar" that was set right in front of the open kitchen was made out of a deep chocolate wood. The barstools were faded from years and years of use.

Sitting down at one of those barstools, Bryan got behind the counter and put on an apron with the Cafe's name on it. "What strikes your fancy?" He asked good naturedly.

"Just a coffee, thanks," Yami said, not even bothering to look at the large menu that hung over the bar. No, he hadn't memorized the menu; he just didn't want to have to choose from so many things to drink.

Bryan nodded, not caring that Yami didn't want something fancy, "Alright then." He turned around and grabbed the coffee pot, "For here or to go?"

Yami thought for a minute, "For here, I guess," He said. The Cafe was warm and dry, much more comfortable than the sticky haze that was outside.

Besides, he didn't have anywhere else to go. Yami had decided long ago that he didn't like the feeling of having no obligations, and his mood suddenly took a rather depressing turn.

Bryan put down the coffee pot with a small thump. "Okay, I'll be right back," He said, walking into the back. Yami sighed as soon as his back disappeared; he was feeling rather lonely despite the other's kind and caring attitude. Even though Bryan was one of the nicest people that Yami had ever met, the two weren't close. Yami couldn't talk to him, not really.

He suddenly missed Yugi quite a bit.

Mondays were Yami's worst day because he didn't have anything to do. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays he had rehearsal, and could spend time playing his guitar before and after playing with Zach and Jullian. Even though Yami couldn't play songs and melodies that he himself wrote anymore, he still liked to play in general. It still felt nice, even though the feeling was nothing compared to what it was months ago.

On Wednesdays Yami had therapy at the hospital. The sessions only lasted a little while, but Yami's entire mind was full for hours after talking with his doctor. Time passed very quickly when his mind was encompassed by the thoughts of his past.

And then on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays Yami was at the cafe from early afternoon until closing. He liked to listen to the live acoustic performances by people that were just starting out. They reminded him of himself when he was just starting out in America. Sometimes Yami wondered if he would ever play in _A Jazzed Up Mind_, but the thought almost always upset him so he concentrated on his own job so that he wouldn't spill coffee all over his customers.

Time always passed quickly at work. He liked talking to people about their jobs and lives, even if the conversations never got very personal. He liked being friendly and something of an extrovert, because he had never been like that before. He liked being different from what he was in his past.

It made Yami hate himself a little less, because yes, Yami did still hate himself sometimes. Sometimes he hated himself a lot.

But Yami didn't want to think about that. He started to concentrate on the aromas of coffee and tea around him.

Sundays were Yami's favorite day because neither he nor Yugi had anything to do. They always spent the entire day together, and it didn't matter what they did. Sometimes they went out on dates and sometimes they just slept all day. Yami wasn't ever lonely on Sunday and his mind was always relaxed. When Yami was around Yugi he could think about anything that he wanted to. If he wanted to be sad then Yugi was there to comfort him and talk to him, and if he wanted to be happy then Yugi was there to share it with him.

The guitarist's stomach lurched just a little bit. He always missed Yugi when he wasn't around, but there was no point in brooding over it. That would be silly.

A good-sized sea green mug was placed in front of Yami. "Here you go. On the house," Bryan said, that smile still on his face. Yami liked how Bryan was always smiling. He liked how good the world could be.

"Thanks," Yami said, wrapping his hands around the warm cup of coffee and sniffing it before taking a sip.

All in all, Yami was trying and almost succeeding in being happy with the way that his life was going. He was appreciative of the fact that it still _was_ going despite all of the things that had happened to him. For now, he was happy with the progress that he was making.

Putting a couple of creams and sugars into his drink, Yami took another sip of the hot coffee. Outside it was still raining, but Yami couldn't feel it at all inside of the cafe. His damp clothes were drying nicely and he decided that after drinking his coffee he would go back to the apartment and practice for the next day's rehearsal. Yami was hoping that soon he would be able to play in public again, but he didn't want to voice this idea because it might make it a reality. Yami knew that he wasn't quite ready for that, and to tell the truth neither was the general public.

The guitarist wasn't sure if the public was ever going to be ready, but that wasn't something for them to decide. Yami was the only person that was going to choose if _anyone_ would hear Sennen Rage again, and he was perfectly comfortable with that decision. It gave him power in a world where he had never had any.

Going against everything that Yami was trying to believe in, the guitarist allowed himself a single stray thought. _It's only a matter of time._

Yami was glad that time was going forward.

**_To Be Continued_**

* * *

**_Author's Notes:_** This story starts out with two huge time spans that separate it from Sennen Rage. The first one is the nine months that it's been since I wrote the last chapter of the prequel. The next one is the summer that passed between Sennen Rage and Strike Records. This makes it extremely hard to write. I started out with this chapter to get myself and the readers back into the flow of the story, so that's why nothing really happened. 

This chapter is set in September. Early September, like the beginning of the school year. But that's not where this story begins. The story begins in October, which is the next chapter. I hope that it's not too strong, though. O.o

I'm still very busy, but I hope that I can get on some sort of schedule of weekly updates. We'll see what happens. :).

Please Review.


	2. Chapter One

**_Chapter One_**

Yugi blearily opened his eyes to the sound of the alarm clock buzzing; he honestly hated that noise more than any other. He stretched, trying to force his body to function at the ungodly hour of five in the morning.

While stretching, Yugi's fist lightly grazed Yami's arm. The rest of Yami was curled up near the edge of the bed, his eyes still closed in peace. Yugi stopped stretching so that he could turn off the alarm clock; he didn't want to have to wake Yami up at such an hour, especially when he wasn't being hindered by the nightmares of his past.

Lying back down on the bed for a minute, Yugi's thoughts traveled to the guitarist that was lying next to him. Yugi wasn't a big part of Yami's recovery anymore; that both made Yugi proud of his boyfriend and a little sad for himself. After all, the only reason that Yugi couldn't help Yami anymore was because he was almost always at either school or work.

Beginning to stretch again, Yugi breathed deeply. Yami was definitely recovering, though, that was evident in his speech and his smiles and his appetite. Between his own sessions of thought and his meetings with his therapist, Yami was beginning to right the thoughts in his head and remember that not everything was his fault.

Even though the scars on his stomach and face would never fade, hopefully the memories would. Yugi wondered if it was too much to ask.

The student didn't realize that he had closed his eyes until a soft hand began to stroke his hair. Surprised, Yugi jumped a little and opened his eyes again. Yami laughed a little bit beside him, "I didn't mean to scare you."

Yugi turned onto his side to face the other, "No it's okay. I was only thinking."

"About?" Yami probed sleepily, still smiling a little. Yugi noticed a shadow behind his eyes. It almost never went away.

Yugi smiled too, "You."

"I'm flattered," Yami said honestly. He began to stretch a little as well. After a short moment of silent he began to talk again, "What's on the schedule for today?"

Yugi creased his eyebrows slightly, trying to think, "What day is it?"

"Tuesday," Yami said, yawning a little. He covered his mouth with a clenched fist. 

"Oh," Yugi said. He was hoping that it was at least Wednesday. His weeks seemed to be getting longer and longer since school started about a month ago. He blinked, getting his day into order, "I'm going to get to the library early to finish up some work, then classes until midday and work after that."

Yami's face never fell when Yugi spoke of a full day without him, but the smaller knew that he was missed while he was away. Yugi wished that there was something that he could do about it, but there really wasn't anything.

"Another full day," The guitarist commented a little dryly. He rubbed some sleep out of his beautiful red eyes, "I don't think that I would be able to keep up with all of that," He said, shifting a little closer to Yugi, "I don't know how you do it."

Yugi smiled a little at the praise and his lips briefly met Yami's, "Neither do I." 

"What time are you getting out of work?" Yami asked after a minute. He nestled a little deeper under the blankets, probably feeling cold. It was late October and the mornings were starting to feel a little brisk.

"Nine, I think," Yugi said. He wasn't sure if Yami asked these questions for his benefit or for Yugi's own. "I'll probably be home around nine-thirty, depending on what time Kaiba finally decides to close down."

"Okay," Yami said, stretching a final time before attempting to sit up; he failed and flopped lazily back down onto the bed. "I'll be here," he yawned.

Yugi sighed and slipped out of bed. He ran his fingers through Yami's hair, "Go back to sleep, Yami. You look exhausted." He kissed his boyfriend again on the forehead.

"Just for a minute," Yami said with his eyes closed, "I want to see you off before you leave."

Yugi smiled as he left the room, not answering Yami. He knew that the other was probably already sleeping again.

* * *

Yami shivered and zippered up his coat as he walked down the street with his guitar slung on his back. It was sunny out, but the wind was blowing all of the warmth out of New York City. Yami blew shaky air out of his mouth and dug his hands into his pockets. His loose bangs were being thrown all around his face.

It was late Tuesday morning and the guitarist was heading to _The Curse_ to rehearse with Zach and Jullian. Zach had promised a new song for that day's rehearsal, and Yami was quite excited. He liked to play new music, because he never knew what was going to be thrown at him. He liked the surprise.

Pulling his key out of his pocket, Yami unlocked the doors of the nightclub. He was usually the first person to rehearsal, so he was given the key. Yami liked to warm up alone because he was free to make mistakes and to think. He didn't like thinking in front of other people because he always brought himself into a daze and he always felt embarrassed when someone else had to bring him out of it. He didn't like to make mistakes in front of other people because with mistakes came the prospect of punishment.

Yami didn't like punishment. 

Walking down into the basement Yami flicked on all of the lights. The club was the same as it ever was, with small tables all around the spacious dance floor and a stage on one end of the room. All of the chairs were sitting on the tables; a clean-up crew came to the club on Sundays to pick up after the mess that always loomed after Saturday night.

Yami hadn't been to one of the dances at _The Curse_ in quite a long time; he didn't know how long it had been. He missed it; he missed the crowds and the people cheering. He missed the crowds of people that came to see _him_ play and the sounds of people clapping for _him_ and his band.

Yami wondered if his longing for the night life was enough to make him come back again. He wondered if he'd feel the same way once he stepped onto that stage over a hundred people. He wondered if it would hurt.

Taking one of the chairs off of a table Yami sat down and began to unpack his guitar; it was black, the same one that Yami had been using since his days at Julliard. Sure, he had picked up and dropped off a few other guitars since then, but this one was Yami's favorite. This one felt the best.

Wrapping the shoulder strap around himself, Yami placed his fingers in the appropriate places and played a simple G chord. He liked how the sounds vibrated off of each other, the sine waves peaking at just the right spots to create the pleasing sound.

His heart rate suddenly picked up. Yami hadn't felt that way in a long time. His guitar hadn't made him feel that good in a while. He began to pluck the strings in a different order, then moved his fingers to create a C chord. He plucked the strings in the same order.

Hearing an invisible beat inside of his head, Yami started to play exactly what he wanted to, even though he had never played it before. In his head he was numbly aware that he hadn't been able to play from his heart and head in a long time, but he was too into his own music to notice it much. He moved his fingers up and down his guitar fluidly, just enjoying the sounds that were coming out of his instrument.

He sighed and closed his eyes, honestly enjoying himself.

A door slammed somewhere; it sounded like a shot.

Unable to stop himself, Yami cried out and his entire body shuddered. He felt like he couldn't breathe; underneath his shirt his long-healed scar began to pulse. He began to get a headache.

"It's just a door slamming," Yami whispered to himself out loud. _It's just a door. It's just Jullian and Zach coming to rehearsal, that's all._

"Hey Yami, are you alright?" The guitarist heard Jullian's voice from across the room. He didn't open his eyes, still trying to calm himself down. He felt a little sick. Yami hated these episodes; they came every time somebody made a loud, unexpected noise. Everything sounded like a door slamming or a gun shooting at something. Everything sounded like a harsh yell coming only for him. 

Maybe Yami didn't like surprises so much after all.

"Yami?" The voice was closer now. Yami blearily opened his eyes to find Jullian's face about a foot away from his, "Hey, what's up? We heard you playing from upstairs, you sounded great. What happened?" 

"Nothing," Yami said quickly. He knew that neither of the boys would believe that, but he had never talked explicitly about his personal life before; he wasn't sure that today would be the best day to start, either. "I'm fine. The door slamming just scared me a little."

"That was my fault," Zach piped in from behind Jullian. He was rubbing the back of his head and averting his eyes, "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." 

"It's fine," Yami said, not looking at either one of them. He hated how he reacted to the simplest of noises. Even more than that, he hated the sympathy that he was getting from his band mates. It wasn't like he wasn't appreciative of their concern for him, no, that wasn't it. He supposed that he just wanted everyone to forget about what Ryan had done to him.

Maybe if everyone else forgot then Yami could, too.

"You sure?" Jullian began, "Because if not we can--"

"No," Yami said strongly, standing up from his chair. He was hoping that he was the only one that noticed how badly his hands were shaking. "I'm fine. Let's just start rehearsal." Ryan had stopped Yami from having a good time on stage for almost an entire year. He wasn't going to let him do it any longer.

The mood for the first fifteen minutes of practice was rather tense. Yami and Zach tuned while Jullian fooled around on the drum set for a while. After that they warmed-up with a couple of songs that they had practiced a few weeks ago, and then Zach brought out a few scraps of paper that held the band's new song on it.

Yami halfheartedly took the papers that were handed to him. He didn't feel much like playing anymore, but he knew that he would feel worse than he already did if he left rehearsal early. Glancing through the lyrics and chords that went along with it, Yami noticed that there was a portion of the song marked, "Guitar solo."

"There's a guitar solo in here," Yami remarked, looking up at Zach. His voice was rather flat.

"Yeah, I thought that the song called for one," Zach said. "I thought that you'd like one since we haven't done anything like that in a while."

Yami nodded, "Sure."

That was the one major downfall of not sharing his personal life with Zach and Jullian; neither of them knew how he really felt. They knew that he was spooked easily and that he was still recovering from the trauma that took place in this very nightclub, but that was about where it ended.

Because Yami didn't want to talk to Jullian and Zach about Ryan and his problems with him, the guitarist was extremely grateful that both of the boys inferred that Yami wouldn't be able to write songs anymore; he doubted that he would have been able to tell them himself. It would have felt like admitting his defeat.

Yami couldn't be upset at the fact that Zach gave him a guitar solo that he wouldn't be able to play. Even if Zach had known that Yami couldn't play on the fly since last summer, he would have guessed that Yami had healed by now. Who knew...maybe Yami _should_ have been healed. 

"--try it out?"

Yami shook his head and pulled himself out of his thoughts, "What?"

Zach was slipping his guitar strap over his shoulders and getting his bass into position. He shuffled the papers on the music stand in front of him, "Do you want to try the song out? Just play the chords first, like always. We'll work in the lyrics later."

"Okay," Yami said. "Any specific strumming pattern?"

Zach blinked for a minute, thinking about the song that he had laid out in his head, "Yes." He began to tap his foot, still thinking, "Hit the root first, then strum the rest of the chord. Like this." He began to sing how he wanted it done, and Yami nodded. He liked how it sounded.

"Sure," He said, "That sounds good."

"And just go nuts on the solo," Zach continued, "I'd like it to sound frantic, but just do what you feel is right."

Yami looked at the floor, then determinedly at his music on the stand in front of him, "Right." 

"Ready Jullian?" Zach called to their drummer. 

"Ready."

"Okay. One, two, three, four!"

The song started off with a couple of bars by Jullian to get the tempo steady. Zach came in with a walking bass line a little later, and then Yami jumped in on top of them before melding with their song. The guitarist followed the written music well, knowing exactly which versions of the chords to play before he even got to them. Yami knew his guitar like the back of his hand; he knew that that would never change.

Once they hit the chorus of the song Zach asked Yami to change his strumming pattern. Yami changed the way that his hand moved accordingly, and Zach began to concentrate on his own part again, happy with the way that it sounded.

The song sounded excellent for a first run through, and Yami was thoroughly impressed with the way that Zach had written it. This would be a great opening piece for a gig, if they ever had one.

Encompassed with his thoughts, Yami didn't notice how quickly the guitar solo hit him. He didn't realize that it had come until Zach and Jullian stopped playing and were looking at him. Yami quickly tried to throw something together in the right key, but ended up placing two of his fingers in the wrong frets and creating a terrible noise.

Yami felt his head spin as his fingers tried to frantically make up for his mistake.

He looked up, feeling like there were crowds of cheering people under him. He could see them, right down to what clothes they were wearing. He felt the humidity that always came with large amounts of people trapped in an enclosed space, too. He could smell the faint odor of sweet flavored alcohol and the sweating bodies of the people on the dance floor, and felt the heat of the stage lights on him and the flicker of the strobe that was cast out onto the audience.

Yami looked in the corner, where he always looked when his fingers ended up in the wrong place, and he could have sworn that he saw a pair of gray eyes. He knew for a fact that he saw the person that they belonged to as well.

Yami felt like time was flying backwards. That was the last thing that he felt.

**_To Be Continued_**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** And here we go, an on time update. Let's see how long these last. :p.

This chapter just came out of my fingers. I had an idea of where I wanted to go, but I didn't really plan ahead. I'm 'writing on the fly,' you could say. :D.

I think that this story is going the way that it should be, but it's still too early to tell. If there's anything that anyone wants to see in this story, please tell me. I'd like to see what everyone thinks. 

Please Review.


	3. Chapter Two

By the time Yugi got home that night it was past ten o'clock. He was only supposed to have been at work until nine, but Kaiba wasn't in the best of moods that day. It didn't help that a new employee almost wiped out the entire network, either.

Yugi was glad that he wasn't that poor soul.

Sighing slightly, Yugi twirled his key ring around his finger before unlocking the front door. He was mildly surprised when he saw that all of the lights were out, but then realized that Yami had probably just gotten tired of waiting and went to bed.

Yugi wondered if it was frustrating, to have to wait for someone even after they were supposed to have arrived.

Yugi yawned widely as he stepped out of his shoes; it had been another long day, and what he wanted the most right then was to just lie down next to Yami and fall asleep. The prospect managed to put a smile on Yugi's face; he missed his boyfriend, especially during those long hauls at work and school.

Yugi stretched for a couple of seconds then started to shuffle towards his room in the dark. The living room was very clean, probably more from disuse than anything else. Neither Yugi nor Yami watched much TV, and their bedroom was more comfortable to laze around in than on the couch, anyways.

Yugi wondered if this was sad, that a large chunk of their shared apartment went unused.

Deciding that his thoughts were just delusions created after a long day at work and school, Yugi cleared his head and pushed open the rest of his partially ajar bedroom door. All of the lights were out, and judging by the dead silence that met Yugi's ears, they had been for quite a while.

Yugi wondered exactly when Yami had gone to bed, or if he had waited for Yugi at all. He wondered if something was wrong.

He turned on the light, more out of necessity to see than a desire to wake up Yami. He blinked for a minute, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, then he took in the room. His violet eyes widened considerably when he realized that Yami wasn't there.

* * *

"Another coffee for you, Yami?"

Yami sat in the back corner of _A Jazzed Up Mind_, drinking coffee after coffee. He wasn't sure how long he had been there, but he did know that his guitar was propped up against the wall next to him and that he would have been owing a lot of money to the shop if Bryan hadn't already cleared him of the debt.

The guitarist shook his head at his boss' request, "No...no thanks. I really should be getting home. I've been here for so long."

Bryan smiled slightly and swirled coffee around in the pot that he was carrying, "For a greater portion of the day."

Yami was glad that Bryan had let him stay for so long; he wondered if any other cafe owners would let their patrons stay in their restaurant from about noon to well past dark. He was glad that Bryan didn't ask questions, and that Bryan didn't make him do anything that he didn't want him to do.

Bryan sat down in a seat directly across from Yami; he was still holding the pot of coffee, "How about one more cup."

Yami looked down at his almost-empty mug; he really would have liked to stay for a little while longer, to not have to think for just a few more minutes.

He pushed his cup towards the bartender, "Sure...one more cup."

* * *

Yugi was putting his sweatshirt over his shoulders again barely fifteen minutes after he had taken it off. He quickly slipped on his shoes, barely paying attention to which foot went where. After a quick look around the house, the student had come to the conclusion that Yami was not in the house; his jacket was gone and his shoes were missing, too.

Above all of that, though, Yugi had realized that Yami's guitar wasn't in the closet. That meant that he hadn't been home since rehearsal that afternoon.

Hurrying out of the door, Yugi realized that Yami could be just about anywhere.

He walked quickly down the street, trying not to run and gain too much attention. He slowed to a stop once he reached i The Curse /i , and pressed his hands and forehead lightly against the glass doors. All of the lights inside of the club were turned off, and from the faint glow of the street lights Yugi could see that the doors to the basement were closed.

Blinking, Yugi tried to think about what could have happened to the guitarist. He doubted that he was anywhere inbetween the club and their apartment, because Yugi would have seen him. That meant that Yami either went somewhere else...or someone forced him to.

Peeling himself off of the night club's door, Yugi turned around and started to run back to his house, not caring who saw. He opened his unlocked door, grabbed his keys, then jumped into his car and squeezed out of his parking place as quickly as possible.

Yugi's mind was oddly blank. He supposed that that was because he was trying not to jump to conclusions. He didn't want to believe that Yami was being physically or mentally harmed unless he really was.

He swallowed hard as he came to a stop light. Yami wouldn't not come home unless something was really wrong. He blinked, his breath catching in his throat.

As the light turned green, Yugi's foot fell to the floor.

* * *

It was well past closing, yet Yami still sat in his seat sipping coffee. Bryan had never asked him to leave, so Yami didn't get up. He didn't do anything other than wrap his hands around his mug and watch his boss wipe down tables.

Yami didn't know what time it was; he never thought to ask. He knew that he probably should have cared, but he had forgotten why he was supposed to.

His mind sparked when headlights flooded into the dim scene of the cafe.

* * *

Yugi was following all of the paths that Yami had ever taken; it wasn't hard, because the only places that Yami ever inhabited were the hospital, _The Curse_ and _A Jazzed Up Mind_, the cafe where he worked.

The coffee house was closest, so Yugi decided to try there first. Yugi wasn't sure what time the place closed on Tuesdays, but judging by the dim lights inside of the restaurant it had probably already shut down for the night.

Yugi shut his car off, hoping that someone was still inside of the cafe. i Maybe they've seen him... /i

Stepping outside, Yugi decided that it was worth a shot, even if it did waste some time.

Going to knock on the door to get someone's attention, Yugi's eyes locked with a pair of familiar crimson ones. His heart both swelled and fell out of his stomach.

What was Yami doing there?

* * *

The ride home was silent. Yugi didn't know what to say to Yami, and Yami was probably too lost in his own head to try say something on his own.

Yugi knew that Yami was still hurting, and that it was quite possible that he'd never stop. At the same time, though, Yugi thought that Yami would at least be open enough to talk about i some /i of his problems. He could have called Yugi at work if something had happened during rehearsal. He could have done i something /i .

Yugi shook his head, realizing that he was wrong to think that. If Yami was upset enough, then he wouldn't have the sense to think clearly about anything. And Yugi didn't know what was wrong with Yami in the first place. It was obvious that something had happened during rehearsal, but exactly what, Yugi had no clue.

Yugi couldn't even hear his boyfriend breathing next to him, the silence was that deafening. Yami was looking out of the passenger's seat window, probably not seeing anything. Yugi wondered what the other was thinking about, if there was anything at all.

He sighed.

Once Yugi slipped into a parking space in front of his apartment, he turned off the car and just sat there, his keys clenched in his hands on his lap. An awkward silence descended on the young couple, and for a minute Yugi wasn't sure what was going to happen next.

"I'm sorry." Yami's voice floated out of the darkness and the silence.

Yugi softly breathed out through his nose; he blinked and frowned a little before responding, "It...it's okay." Yugi wasn't sure if he was telling the truth, but he realized that neither of them really had a choice. At this point it kind-of had to be okay.

Yami didn't say anything back to Yugi. He was still staring out of the same window, and his hands hadn't moved since he got in the car.

"Do..." Yugi started, still wondering what was going to happen next, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Hard rehearsal today," Yami said detachedly. "I went to the cafe afterwards...just to cool down, and then I didn't leave. I don't know why. I'm sorry that I made you worry."

Yugi wasn't sure if the monotone in Yami's voice or the absence that his mind carried worried Yugi more.

They sat in the car for a few more moments, until one thing or another made them both want to get out of the car. They didn't say anything else, and both made their ways in the bedroom after taking off their shoes and jackets and such. Yami had left his guitar in the car; Yugi had a feeling that he wasn't going to be using it much for a while.

Yami gathered some night clothes and headed to the bathroom while Yugi undressed in the bedroom. He hoped that Yami was going to be okay, and that he was going to talk about at least some of what was bothering him. They both knew that bottling up emotions wasn't going to do anyone any good in the long run.

Yugi just hoped that Yami realized that.

Minutes later Yugi was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. He could hear water running in the bathroom; Yami must have been washing his face. He wished that washing away the pain in their hearts could have been that easy.

There was barely any light in the room; the small bit of space between the window of the room and the building next to it wasn't enough to let in any moonlight. The only illumination that Yugi had was the light from the small hallway outside of his slightly ajar door. Yami would shut it off before he came into the room to lie down next to Yugi.

Yugi's heart dropped, however, when the hall light went off without Yami showing his face; the guitarist was probably going to sleep on the couch, where he slept when he didn't feel comfortable lying down next to anyone else. The student waited for a few minutes, but his partner never entered their bedroom. Sighing, Yugi let himself be submerged into the darkness, and he turned on his side while covering his head with his blanket.

He had a feeling that it was going to be a cold night.

_**To Be Continued**_

* * *

Author's Notes: ...an update. I didn't think that I was going to ever come back to this story but I got the strange urge to write a little bit tonight. Maybe I'll have more of these urges. I probably would have written more but I didn't feel like delving into too much Yami-angst. I'll save that for another time (maybe some fluff, too).

Thanks for everyone that's continuing with this story despite the lame lack of updates. I appreciate it a lot and hope that you all continue to read and review.

I'm starting my Senior year soon, and I don't know when I'll be updating again. Hopefully this boring chapter will be enough for you for now. I'll pick things up once I remember/think of what I want to do next. I have goals for the story, but no clue how to get there.

Please Review.


	4. Chapter Three

_Yami opened his eyes very quickly; he didn't want to keep them closed. Ryan was right in front of him, in the crowd. Yami would be a fool close his eyes to him; he would never know when he was coming._

_But when Yami opened his eyes, no one was there. There was no crowd, no screaming fans, no brightly colored lights illuminating the basement. There was no Ryan._

_The guitarist blinked, his vision going in and out of focus as he did so. How long had he been out for?_

_Realizing that he was lying face-down on his guitar, Yami pushed himself up and crouched on the balls of his feet. He sat down when he found that the room was spinning. His guitar hit him lightly on the chest; some of the tuning pegs were out of place; thankfully that was the only damage that was done to the guitar. Yami sprawled one of his hands across his abdomen; it was stinging slightly from the impact._

_"Yami," he heard someone calling his name. It took a second for him to realize that it was Jullian. "Yami, are you okay?"_

_Yami turned his head back to look at his fellow band-mates. Both Zach's bass and Jullian's drumsticks were lying abandoned on the floor. Both of them were leaning on their haunches, looking like they wanted to put a hand on Yami's shoulders to stabilize him. Neither of them did, probably out of fear of scaring him._

_"Fine. Fine," Yami said. He looked back out where the huge crowd was only moments ago. He looked towards that familiar corner, where Ryan was staring at him, hating him, waiting to punish him for his mistakes._

_"Are you sure?" He heard Zach's voice, but Yami barely even registered it. He was lost in his own thoughts._

_"Yes. Fine," He replied absently. He blinked a few more times, "...Where is everyone?"_

_A silence followed._

_"...What do you mean, 'everyone?'" Jullian asked, his voice concerned. Yami didn't understand why._

_"Everyone. The crowd. The dancers," Yami answered, his voice sounding dazed. "Ryan."_

_No one in the room was breathing. Yami could barely force the air into his own lungs. The atmosphere in the room was suffocating._

_Jullian spoke again after what seemed like an eternity, "No one was here, Yami. This is a rehearsal."_

_"No. There were people here, tons of them." The guitarist raised his hand and pointed towards the corner, "Ryan was standing right there, watching us. I _saw_ him."_

_"Yami," Jullian tried again, his voice cracking slightly. "Ryan is dead. He died--he died last summer. No one was in the crowd. It's just us today."_

_Yami continued to stare out into the crowd. He couldn't believe that. Ryan was there. Yami saw him. It was as clear as day._

_...But when were any of Yami's days ever clear? When did he ever have a clear image of his life in his mind?_

_He didn't know. _

_Yami put his hands underneath him and stood up. He swayed on the spot for an unknown amount of time, and he knew in the back of his head that Jullian and Zach were too shocked to try to help steady him._

_It was more from habit than anything that Yami threw his guitar into his case and snapped it shut. It was more from slight fear and embarrassment than anything that Yami left the club without another word to his band-mates. Tears were brewing in his eyes._

* * *

Yami dragged himself out of his uneasy sleep with a shudder. He didn't like how his reality kept mixing with his nightmares; it made him unsure of what he was supposed to believe.

Feeling cold, he looked on the floor and found the blanket that had fallen off of him. Hoisting it over his shoulders, he tried to regain his bearings. It was dark out, which obviously meant that it was still nighttime: around two or three in the morning, most likely.

He tried to go back a little farther. His mind felt fuzzy, but for some reason he didn't think that there was just his tired mind to blame. Something _else_ had happened.

What day was it yesterday? Tuesday: that meant that there was rehearsal at_The Curse_. Snippets of memories started coming back to Yami. Zach had written a new song that he wanted to try, and it had a guitar solo in it.

"...oh," Yami mumbled, not quite liking what his memory was presenting to him. He knew what was coming next: a fainting spell, and the embarrassment that came with it. And then coffee...too much coffee. Too much time spent at _A Jazzed Up Mind_. Yugi having to come and find him.

Yami could only imagine the terror that Yugi must have felt to come home to find Yami missing. It wasn't like the guitarist to be out of the apartment past nightfall. Anyone would be shocked at the absence. He wondered if he was on the couch because Yugi was too mad to sleep in the same room with him.

_No_, Yami corrected. _That's not right._ Yugi wouldn't do that. Yami must have been the one that slinked onto the couch, without even saying goodnight to Yugi. _Yeah...that's the one_.

Yami frowned, looking down at his pajamas pants. He knew that Yugi would understand that something was wrong, even though Yami didn't tell him about it. He was such an understanding person, and Yami would never be able to repay that to him.

He stepped off of the couch and pulled his blanket a little tighter around him, then made his way to the room that he and Yugi shared. Pushing the door open as quietly as he could, he peeked to see if Yugi was awake or not. By the soft light of the hallway, he could see that Yugi's face was buried into his pillow, and that the boy was fast asleep.

Yami felt another pang of regret for leaving Yugi all alone, and stepped inside of their bedroom. Slipping into bed next to his boyfriend, he took a closer look at Yugi's face. Even while sleeping, his features appeared to be troubled. Yami didn't want to wake him up, though, and just gave him a soft kiss on the forehead before lying down as well.

He closed his eyes and fell asleep after what seemed like an eternity.

* * *

Yugi woke up the next morning feeling rather down. The oddest part about this feeling was that he felt sad before he even remembered _why_ he was sad. Then he remembered that the previous night, Yami wasn't doing too well. Then it all made sense.

Turning around to look at his alarm clock, Yugi noticed that he was up far before he had to be. He wasn't tired, either, so he wasn't going to be going back to bed. Maybe he could get up and go sit by Yami for a little while; he wasn't sure what that would do, especially if the other was still sleeping, but he knew that it couldn't hurt.

The student was surprised to see Yami curled up next to him, and would have thought that the previous night was all a dream if he didn't notice that Yami was wrapped in the blanket that usually sat on the living room couch. Yugi sat up in bed, and wondered what had prompted Yami to come in in the first place.

Whatever the reason was, though, he knew that it was a good thing. Yugi sat there thinking about good things for a while, because they made him happy, and then decided that it was about time that he took a shower and got ready for the day. All of his days were basically exactly the same, and only varied in what classes he was scheduled to take.

But at least it was something. Not everybody got to go to college, after all.

Just as he was sidling over to the edge of the bed, Yami coughed and sighed. Then he stretched and curled back into a ball, pulling his blanket a little tighter over himself. Yugi stepped onto the floor and walked over to Yami's side of the bed; he smiled at the other boy for a brief moment before pulling another blanket over him. Yami noticed the motion and opened his eyes just a tiny bit.

"Morning," The guitarist said lazily, trying to focus on Yugi's face. "What time is it?" He asked.

"Too early," Yugi answered gently, leaning forward to give Yami a kiss on the forehead. "Go back to sleep, Yami."

Yami nodded a little and closed his eyes. Yugi was just about to turn away, toward the closet, when Yami spoke again, "Wait." He said, and Yugi could hear the urgency in his voice even with layers of sleep coating it on all sides.

"Something wrong?" Yugi asked, turning around and kneeling down so that he was at eye-level with the other.

"I'm sorry about last night," Yami apologized in a voice that was apparently as clear as he could make it. "I...should have come home."

Yugi nodded. "It's okay," he said. "I'm just glad that you came back."

Yami closed his eyes again, obviously still very tired. "Yeah," He answered. It didn't sound very convincing, to be quite honest. Maybe he didn't know what "came back" was supposed to mean. Maybe Yugi didn't know what it was supposed to mean, either.

"I'll talk to you when I get home tonight," Yugi continued. "I promise."

"Okay," Yami mumbled, just about to fall back asleep. "I'll be here."

The student couldn't help but notice that that was what Yami had said the previous day before Yugi went off to school.

_**To Be Continued**_

* * *

Author's Notes: I'm fully aware that it's been six months before this story has been updated. Please forgive me, and I hope that I haven't lost all of the readers that have followed me through this story because of my lack of punctuality.

I am also aware that I've said that the story was going to pick up at the end of every chapter that I've posted so far. I'm working on it, I really am. But I keep having to write chapters to get me back into the mood for the story because there is so much time between updates. Something is bound to happen soon! (Perhaps someone would like to give me some suggestions...? Hmm...?)

Hopefully I'll get back onto a regular update schedule soon. Wouldn't that be nice?

Please Review.


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